Albuquerque city golf courses are under fire after an audit found major money problems, and it turns out debt was being wiped out by city officials who didn't have the authority to do so.

"If a debt needs to be written off, they need to follow the law of the land and the City of Albuquerque and that's to go before the Albuquerque City Council," said City Council President Ken Sanchez.

Sanchez can't believe the city council was not involved in golf course debt being written off.

"That is a very big concern to me because we have written off debt in the past, but it needs to go before the Albuquerque City Council," said Sanchez.

It's not just a big concern, it's the law.

"It states clearly that it's the Albuquerque City Council that can abate any debt that is owed to the city," he said.

A recent audit found the Albuquerque City administration removed thousands of dollars the concessionaire at the Ladera Golf Course owed because of construction on the links.

It cites New Mexico state statute, saying the city council must approve write-offs by resolution, but that never happened. The city never knew after the fact.

An audit uncovered potential violations of the law.

"If that was going to be forgiven, knowing the situation, the council knowing the situation, the struggles the Ladera golf course was having, they should have come before the Albuquerque City Council. let the pubic know what's going on," said Sanchez.

The audit's recommendations demand city administrators work with the city council if any golf course debt is wiped out in the future. City administrators say they are researching documents before they comment.